Regular Rehearsal on Saturday, February 28

We will close out the month of February with a regular
rehearsal. With March just around the corner, hopefully we
will begin to see warmer temperatures and the return of "shorts
weather". I am more than ready!

I want to thank our students for excellent attendance last
Saturday! Even though most of our older students were
involved in some way or another with the basketball tournament, the
band members did all they could to attend rehearsal, even if it was
for a short time. The result was a productive and energetic
rehearsal with the band making some very good improvement!

Remember there is no rehearsal on March 7 due to the Solo and
Ensemble event being held at Waupaca High School.

Remaining Schedule for the Second Semester

Please check the FVL Schools Calendar for a full listing of the
second semester rehearsals and performances. For reference,
listed below are our rehearsals and performances for the second
semester.

Saturday, March 7 - Eastern Valley Conference Solo and
Ensemble Festival at Waupaca HS. There will be no rehearsal
this day, but many of our Concert Winds students will be
participating in the Festival by playing their solo.

March 21 and 28 - Regular rehearsals

Wednesday, April 1 - Concert Winds participate in the WSMA
Concert Festival at FVL. This will be an adjudicated
performance and will satisfy our requirement to be a member of
WSMA.

April 18 and 25 - Regular rehearsals

Sunday, April 26 - FVL Middle School Band Concert, 6:00 PM
(Cadet Band and Concert Winds)

WSMA Concert Festival performance for Concert Winds

You may have noticed on our schedule that the Concert Winds (NOT
Cadet Band) are participating in a WSMA Concert Festival on
Wednesday, April 1. That is not a typo! Participating
in a concert festival is a requirement for our FVL Schools Band
Program to be a member of WSMA. Since we did not participate
in a concert festival last year, we must do that this year.

This concert festival will be hosted by FVL. Additional
information will be posted to this site as we get closer to the
event. However, parents from each school can begin to plan
car pools to FVL that morning and back to your schools again
following the festival. Parents and students can also alert
their school's principals and classroom teachers of their absence
from school that morning.

9:45 AM Arrive at FVL - Meet in the small gym with coats and
cases for attendance
10:00 AM Warm up in the FVL Band Room
10:30 AM Performance clinic with WSMA Adjudicators (return cases
to gym following performance)
11:15 AM Concert Winds listen to St. Martin Lutheran Band and fill
out student critique form
12:00 Noon Car pools return students to their grade schools

You will notice that, depending on which school your child
attends, students will be returning to their schools either at the
end of their lunch period or after their lunch period has ended.
Students should plan on bringing a bag lunch that day that
they can eat on their return trip to their schools.

Picture Day is Set!

We will be taking our band pictures on Saturday, April
18. We will be taking time during our
rehearsal for the photos. We will be taking formal group
photos in uniform, so band students are to bring black shoes and
socks, white shirts, and black pants for the day. These items
are the same as what they wore to the November concert. To
save time, they are certainly welcome to wear these clothes for the
rehearsal. We will distribute the concert vests on that
morning.

Our Photographer will be from Pinnacle Group Photography, and
will be offering several different packages for purchase. It
will be up to you if you want to order a package or not. We
do ask that all band members wear concert clothes on that day even
if you may not purchase any photos, since we will be taking a group
photo with all students included.

We will be receiving a few pre-order forms in advance of April
18. Pinnacle will also be setting up an online ordering
option. That website should be available in the next few
weeks, and the link will be posted when it becomes available.

Congratulations!

We offer our congratulations to Emily Beyer, a 7th grade flute
student from Riverview, Appleton. Emily is the first of our
beginning band students to complete her first lesson book.
She is now in Book 2 for Flute!

Over the next several weeks, many more of our Cadet Band
students will be completing their first book. It is a very
exciting time for our beginners! We rejoice with them in
their accomplishments!

Solo and Ensemble Information

This morning at about 7:50 I received the times for the Solo and
Ensemble festival on March 7. This first schedule is a Master
Schedule of all seven sites, with all events listed. Later in
the day, or early next week, I will be posting a schedule which
just lists FVL Schools events, in addition to Maps, Directions, and
other logistical information for Waupaca HS.

Go to this link for a MASTER
SCHEDULE of all events. The FVL Schools events are listed
as "FVLMS". You will have to wade through the sites to find your
particular solo.

I also want to alert you that we MAY have a bus going to Waupaca
HS on March 7. If so, it will leave FVL at 6:15 AM and will
not return until approximately 5:00 PM. Parents, PLEASE let
me know ASAP if your child will need to ride the bus. I am
hoping that parents will be able to bring their children to Waupaca
and back, and not have to rely on a bus. Giving your children
a ride will allow for a much shorter day - arrive for your event
and then you are free to go home.

Contact me at jneujahr@fvlhs.org if
your only option is to send your child on a bus on March 7.

Most, if not all, FVL HS students will be planning their own
transportation for March 7. Because we received the schedule
information so late, we were not able to determine if a bus is
needed yet, and will not know that until the middle of next
week.

More information for the Solo and Ensemble Festival will be
posted when it becomes available.

Students and Parents who are participating in the solo and
ensemble should refer back to the Director's Update from February
21 for more information for individual solo events (what to wear,
student introductions, number the measures in your solo and judge's
copy, etc).

Regular Rehearsals on February 21 and 28

We WILL have rehearsal on Saturday, February 21. This is the
same weekend as the FVL Schools Basketball Tournament. We
realize that some kids may be involved in basketball games as
players or cheerleaders. That is OK, and students should be
with their teams. Most students should be able to make some
or all of the band rehearsal, however, and we ask that if it is at
all possible to attend band. Many band students wear their
uniforms/warm ups on that day to rehearsal, which is totally
acceptable. Even if students arrive late or have to leave
early, that is better than not coming at all. Last year we
actually had very good attendance on Tournament weekend, since most
of the kids are at FVL anyway cheering on their teams.

We will also have a regular rehearsal on Saturday, February 28.

No Rehearsal on March 7

Note that on Saturday, March 7, we will not have rehearsal.
Most of our 7th and 8th grade students, as well as Mr.
Neujahr, will be in Waupaca for the Eastern Valley Solo and
Ensemble event. More information about the S and E festival
will be available in next week's update, such as schedule of
performance times, transportation options, maps of Waupaca HS, and
so on. If I receive a schedule for solo events before next
Friday, I will also email this schedule to participating
families.

This is the same festival as the FVL high school band and choir
students will be attending. FVL has just under 50 events
entered, including instrumental solos and ensembles, choral solos
and ensembles, many piano solos, among other events. The FVL
Schools Band Program has a total of 25 solo events entered!
Most are class B or C, but we do have two class A solos
entered as well.

The festival will include music students from FVL and the FVL
Schools Band Program, St. Martin Lutheran School in Clintonville,
Clintonville High School, and Waupaca High School. In all,
there will be over 350 events running from 8:00 AM until about 4:00
PM!

Our event will feature several performance sites, with
rooms designated for vocal, piano, woodwind, percussion, and brass
events. In addition to solos, there will be many different
ensembles performing, including jazz ensembles, brass and woodwind
ensembles, show choirs, and so on. I would strongly encourage
our students to observe as many solos and other ensemble events
during the day. All of the event sites are open to the
public, so our parents and students can sit in on performances
throughout the day.

Information for Students who are performing a solo on March
7

Mr. Neujahr and Mr. Kramer will also discuss these items with
the students at lessons as they prepare for March 7.

Attire: Dress up for your events. No jeans,
T-shirts, crew-neck shirts, tennis shoes, etc. Ties are
recommended for guys, ladies in dress/skirt or other nice
attire. Make an excellent first impression for the
adjudicator!

Music: You are responsible for all of your music for the
day, including your judge's copy. Remember that NO PHOTOCOPIES are
allowed for a WSMA event. You are also responsible for your own
instrument! Number the measures in your judge's copy and your
copy. This MUST be done prior to playing. To my
knowledge, every student has the required 2 original "store bought"
copies of the music.

Be Prompt! Leave early and allow plenty of time to get to
Waupaca HS. There is most likely going to be a bus from FVL leaving
VERY early in the morning. You will also need extra
time to find your designated warm-up area and performance rooms.
Generally, you should try to be in the designated warm-up site
20-30 minutes before your scheduled performance time. It is a
good idea to check your performance site to see if they are ahead
or behind schedule. Your performance time may be shifted
earlier or later depending upon how the day is progressing in that
particular site.

For those using an accompanist: Remember to tell your
accompanist the necessary times and room numbers, etc. A nice
card and gift of money for all of the time put in by your
accompanist is recommended.

Student Introductions

WSMA requires that students introduce their solo. You may
write it out and bring your sheet with you. You may also
memorize it. Rehearse what you are going to say! The
introduction outline is as follows:

My name is (performer name)

My accompanist is (name of accompanist - if you have one)

I am performing (name of solo, and if appropriate, the movements
being performed)

My solo was composed by (name of the composer or arranger)

An interesting aspect of this piece to listen for is. . .
(something to listen for, such as interesting melodies,
articulations, tempos, styles, etc)

-OR-

Something I learned while studying this piece is. . . (something
that you learned about music, or something that this solo helped
you to improve while practicing)

Inclement Weather Procedures

We have been blessed with excellent weather on Saturdays so far
this year. We are only about one month away from the start of
Spring! For that we are especially thankful!

If there is a question about rehearsal due to the weather, remember
to check the band's website for information regarding rehearsal
cancellations. If a rehearsal is canceled, a notice will
always be put on the top of the homepage in bold red
letters. If a rehearsal is not canceled, but you feel
it is not safe to travel from your location, you can always make
the decision to stay home. A notice will not normally be put
up prior to Saturday morning, unless we know for certain that the
weather on Saturday will not allow for a rehearsal.

If we need to cancel a rehearsal, a decision will be made BEFORE
7:30 AM and the notice will be posted to the top of the website by
that time.

Rehearsal schedule for February

We will have a regular rehearsal on Saturday, February 7.
Due to the very large number of our students who will be
involved in B Team basketball tournaments, we will NOT be taking
band pictures on Saturday as was originally noted on our calendar.
Pictures will be at a later date TBD. Thanks to
numerous band parents who alerted me to this early enough to cancel
the picture day!

There will be no rehearsal on Saturday, February 14. Most
of our schools have off that Thursday and Friday for a Teacher's
Conference, so we thought it would be a good idea to give our
families a nice four-day weekend!

We WILL have rehearsal on Saturday, February 21. This is
the same weekend as the FVL Schools Basketball Tournament. We
realize that some kids may be involved in basketball games as
players or cheerleaders. That is OK, and students should be
with their teams. Most students should be able to make some
or all of the band rehearsal, however, and we ask that if it is at
all possible to attend band. Many band students wear their
uniforms/warm ups on that day to rehearsal, which is totally
acceptable. Even if students arrive late or have to leave
early, that is better than not coming at all. Last year we
actually had very good attendance on Tournament weekend, since most
of the kids are at FVL anyway cheering on their teams.

We will also have a regular rehearsal on Saturday, February
28.

Lutheran Vanguard of Wisconsin Rehearsal this Sunday, February
8

All 8th grade band members are invited to the Lutheran Vanguard of Wisconsin (LVW)
rehearsal on Sunday, February 8, at FVL. The event will begin
at 1:00 PM, and will end at 5:00. It is still not too late to
join LVW for 2015! Even if it is something you are not sure
about, our 8th graders are invited to attend this rehearsal and
check it out. I am always available to answer questions you may
have.

LVW is an activity offered through the FVL band program. It
is open to all 8th graders and all high school students and
non-band students who are interested in color guard and our "front
ensemble".

For those who are unfamiliar with our group, Lutheran Vanguard of
Wisconsin is a competitive marching band made up of students from
nine WELS high schools:

LVW is also open to ANY WELS student in grade 8 - 12, no matter
where they live or what school they attend! Therefore, public
school students are also eligible, as long as they are members of a
WELS congregation.

LVW functions to provide a Christ-centered activity within which
students can experience growth, both as an individual and as a
member of a group. Lutheran Vanguard of Wisconsin has always
been one of the finest parade marching bands in the Midwest, and
has displayed its excellence on the street with many award-winning
performances from Calgary to Minnesota, from Wisconsin and Michigan
all the way to Maine, Massachusetts and Georgia! In the
summer of 2010, LVW entered competitive field marching with great
success. This coming summer will undoubtedly bring the same
excitement that our LVW family, both students and adults, were
treated to for the past thirty-seven years.

Since our founding in 1978, LVW has performed or appeared in
Wisconsin, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,
Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Wyoming,
Alberta, and Ontario. All our success, however, is governed
by one basic philosophy: All that we do is done to the glory of
God!